Mastering Death
by Just-Another-FanBoy160
Summary: Anubis thought that his amulet, the amulet that is the key to his powers, was forever safe from human hands. He thought wrong. All it took was one stupid boy who could talk to snakes and a meddling snake goddess to ruin his sense of protection. Yeah, basic summary, it's better than it sounds trust me.
1. Chapter 1

God, Egypt was hotter than Harry thought it'd be. He didn't know how Bill could stand to work here. He took in his surroundings and wasn't surprised that all he saw was sand and sky.

"C'mon mate, we're leaving without you." Ron tapped his arm and broke him out of his daze. It always took him a while to gather his bearings after using a Portkey. It was almost as bad as apparating. "Yeah," he replied as he followed the Weasleys.

They trudged through the sand for a few yards to where Bill was waiting for them. He waved and hugged his parents, talking to them excitedly about their visit.

"Hey Bill, aren't you gonna say hi to us?" Fred, or was it George, called out to his oldest brother.

Bill smiled at him. "Of course George."

"Hey! I'm George, not that git," the other twin called out.

"Yeah, can't you tell us apart? That hurts Bill. And to think we thought you knew us the best," Fred sniffed.

"Oh, knock it off you two." Molly intervened and gently smacked Fred's arm. "You know what he meant."

"Hey Ron, Harry, and, of course, Hermione. How're you three doing? Not getting into too much trouble I hope?"

Hermione laughed. "As if. It seems that every week these two are into another sticky situation and I have to help them out of it."

"Or, worse, you get dragged into it," Harry added.

"It's not our fault that you can't help but help us out in our time of need Hermione."

"Shut up Ronald." She crossed her arms across her chest in a huff. Ron sniggered quietly from Harry's side.

"Well, son, what have you got planned for us while we're here? Going to give us a tour of any tombs, a shopping spree for the ladies?" Arthur asked his eldest.

Bill looked around at his family and smiled, clapping his hands in front of him in excitement. "Just you wait and see what I've got in store for you guys. You're going to love it."

"Wow that sounded kind of ominous. Don't you agree Fred?"

"Totally, George."

"Trust me on this, it won't be something you're likely to forget. In a good way, that is."

They were staying in tents located near the Valley of the Kings, just off the bank of the Nile. Bill promised that he'd give them a tour of the tomb that he was currently exploring in search of magical artefacts. After a night of sleep they all awoke the next day to do a full day of tomb exploring.

Just outside of the tomb Bill stopped them to explain some simple rules of safety. "Okay, now, before we go in I need to stress some safety rules. Number one, don't go anywhere I'm not leading you. No exploring off on your own. This is an unexplored tomb and it may be full of traps and curses. Number two, don't touch anything. This is all delicate history and Egypt would like to keep its history intact." He looked pointedly at Fred and George after saying that. "Lastly, should you get caught in a trap or curse just call my name if you can. If not send sparks out of your wand and I'll try and break the curse. It is my job after all."

Arthur nodded. "Alright. I think we all understand. Lead on Bill."

Bill turned and entered the tomb, lowering his head slightly so as to not bump it on the roof. "It's kind of shallow in here so watch your heads."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione followed the Weasleys into the dark. The air was considerably cooler and staler than the air outside. Harry sighed in relief of the heat and took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness around him. Bill was talking and pointing out paintings on the walls and their meanings ahead of them, but Harry couldn't really hear what he was saying.

Hermione studied the walls in interest; sometimes stopping to take a really good look at some of them. Ron had to gently pull on her arm to keep her moving with the group. "C'mon Hermione. It's not that fascinating."

"Yes it is Ronald. When do you know of the next time I'll be able to study ancient hieroglyphics in an Egyptian tomb?"

"We're going to be here for two weeks 'Mione. You have plenty of time."

Harry smiled at their banter and just followed along after them. They'd been in the tomb for about thirty minutes by then. They'd taken so many turns that he didn't know how Bill didn't get lost in this labyrinth.

Everyone slowed down ahead of them and Bill called back, "Okay, we're about to enter the first treasure chamber. Don't touch anything! Fred, George that means you two especially." He turned toward a big slab of limestone that served as a door and heaved it aside.

They all stepped into a dimly lit chamber that was slightly smaller than Ron's room back at the Burrow. It had broken clay pots and wooden chests scattered throughout the room. There were tables with intricate designs of Egyptian gods and hieroglyphics on it. There was a small dog statue sitting in the far right corner of the room. The black paint on him was chipping and part of his left ear was missing. Small figurines and statues of food littered the floor all around them.

Hermione squatted down to peer at some of the figurines. "Bill what are these for?"

"The Ancient Egyptians believed that in the afterlife you'd need servants to serve you your food and drink so they made these little figurines to do just that. They made sculptures of food so that you could eat that on your trip to the afterlife."

"Wow. Amazing how much preparation went into a funeral," Arthur said.

"Oh, you haven't seen the least of it. Just mummifying one person took seventy days at least. The whole process was long and drawn out. But, of course, you only got a burial like this if you were royalty or rich."

Harry walked over to the statue of the dog in the corner. "What's the dog for? To guard the tomb?"

"Sort of. That's Anubis, god of the dead, leader to the Underworld and then he weighs your heart against a feather to see if you are worthy to enter the Underworld or not."

"So he was an important person," simplified Ron.

"Yes, second only to Osiris." Hermione answered before Bill could.

Harry looked down at the old dog. It suddenly looked more regal than just someone's house pet. The gold that lined its eyes in the typical Egyptian fashion was still gleaming. They seemed to look back at him, knowingly almost. He could sense an old kind of magic attached to the statue which made no sense whatsoever. The Ancient Egyptians probably didn't cast actual spells on their burial objects. However, just to be careful he took a few steps back.

"Alright, on to the next room. Follow me." Bill once again led them out into the dark corridors.

Harry lagged behind the group but didn't let them out of sight. He couldn't get the image of those eyes out of his head. Every time he saw a picture of Anubis on the walls around him he could feel another wave of that magic wash over him. Surely the others sensed it too.

He caught up to Hermione and Ron. "Don't you guys feel that?"

"Feel what?" Ron asked.

"That magic."

"Harry I don't feel any magic. Are you sure you're okay. Is your scar hurting you?"

"It's not my scar Hermione, This is different. I can feel this old magic around me. I started feeling it next to that dog statue in the treasure room."

"Maybe it was cursed." Hermione looked over at him. "You aren't feeling funny are you? No side effects of anything?"

"I'm fine Hermione! I'm not cursed. I just feel a magical presence."

"Old places like this are probably full of old magic. Maybe you're just extra sensitive to it." Ron shrugged. "Just ignore it mate. Maybe it'll go away."

"Right. Let's just go." Harry nodded toward the group which was now twenty feet in front of them. They caught up quickly but Harry _couldn't_ shake the magical awareness. He gripped his wand in his hand just in case.

He knew he was being paranoid, maybe even foolish, but he just needed to be armed in order to feel safe. They walked on, Harry's eyes never stopped darting around in the darkness. The magic was getting stronger the deeper in they went.

_Khered…_

Harry stopped as the strange word was whispered next to his ear. He whirled around and pointed his wand in the direction that they just came.

"Who's there?" he softly called out.

Again whispering in some foreign language.

"Lumos." A soft glow filled the space around him. Unsurprisingly Harry was alone. "Are you that magic that I felt earlier?"

_Inek w'a im chin._

"I speak Parseltongue, not Ancient Egyptian," he muttered sarcastically.

"_Perhaps you can hear me now?"_

Harry turned to his right. Again, there was no one there. _"Yes. Who are you? Where are you?"_

"_You ask so many questions, mortal."_

His heart was pounding. He was facing against someone he couldn't see. He didn't even know if this was some sort of enemy or not. He turned in a circle keeping his wand at the ready.

More foreign words filled his ears, followed by a throaty chuckle.

A sudden burst of wind hit him square in the chest and pushed him back up against the wall. The wind got knocked out of him and he fell to the dirt below him. His wand flew from his hand as if someone kicked it.

"_Come magician. Show me what the House of Life has to say for itself now. Do you puny mortals still think yourselves to be more powerful than gods? Do you think that you can control and bind us?"_ There was so much fury in his assailant's voice that Harry couldn't help but feel intimidated.

"_I don't know what you're talking about. What's the House of Life?"_ Harry choked out after finally catching his breath.

More ancient words were hurled at him. It sounded like whoever it was, was cursing at him. Harry was picked up by his shirt and slammed into the opposite wall. There was a hissing noise as the wall gave way under the impact.

"_No…"_

Harry heard someone walk past his face in the sand. He coughed and slowly picked himself up. He crawled over to where his wand lay, still giving off a light. He picked it up and stood to see a doorway in the wall.

"_Hello? Are you in here?"_

"_Tell me, magician, are you with the House of Life?"_

"_No. I don't even know what you're talking about. I'm Harry Potter, from England. I go to Hogwarts, I'm a wizard there."_

There was no response and he took that as a good sign. "Right, maybe some light would help me see more. _Lumos Maximus_." A bright light filled the small chamber to reveal nothing but sand. "Well that's fascinating." He took a few more steps into the room that was just a bit larger than the broom closet that he used to call a bedroom.

"What's the point of this room if there's nothing in it?"

"_Search harder mortal."_

He walked the entire area of the room. There was nothing in there but dirt and stale air.

"_Keep going. There is something in here that the gods have meant for you to find Harry. You wouldn't have been able to open the door had it not been meant for you."_

He sighed and kicked up the dirt under his shoes. He casted a silent spell where a gentle breeze began moving the sand about. He began walking around the room shifting the sand around looking for anything that may be hidden under it.

_This is pointless. I'm listening to a voice that doesn't have a body in an ancient tomb in Egypt. Last time I listened to a disembodied voice I got accused for petrifying students all around Hogwarts._

"_Stop complaining boy. You're not crazy. Besides if you disobey a goddess you're bound to find some sort of consequences."_

"_Whoa! You're a goddess? You never mentioned that before."_

An image of a cobra flickered and took shape in the right corner of the room. The cobra wore some sort of miniature headdress. Harry looked at it weird. _"You're a goddess?"_

"_Do not mock me boy! I am Wadjet, goddess of the snake. You'd be good to remember that."_ She slithered over to Harry and raised up to look at him. _"Try over there…"_ She turned her head to peer over at the far left side of the room.

Harry sighed and moved over in the direction that she pointed and began shifting the sand around again. He caught a glimpse of something shiny in the sand. He bent down to examine it and came back up with a golden amulet.

It was no bigger than the palm of his hand. It looked like the profile of a jackal's head with the typical Egyptian art style. Where the eye was, though, was a single black gem. It glinted back at Harry as he held it under the light of his wand. "What is this…?"

"_I can't believe he let you find it,"_ Wadjet whispered from the same position in front of the doorway.

"_Who?"_

She looked up at Harry and said, "Anapa."

"Hey!"

Harry jumped and nearly dropped the amulet in the process. He turned to see Bill standing just outside of the room. "What the bloody hell are you doing in here? How did you get in here? And didn't I warn you to stay with the group?"

"Yeah, um, you see…"

"Harry!" Hermione pushed past Bill and gave Harry a big hug. "Where'd you run off to? We were worried sick."

"I um, leaned against the wall to get rid of a headache and I fell through. You guys were already way ahead so I thought I'd look around."

"Harry you could've been cursed without knowing it. You could've blown up the entire place!"

"I'm sorry. There's nothing in here anyway."

Bill looked around. He nodded. "Okay, I think we've had enough fun for today. Let's head back to the tents and we'll do something else tomorrow. Harry I need to check you for curses."

Harry nodded and slipped the amulet into his back pocket.


	2. Chapter 2

**Oh my god guys, so many favourites and follows :D You've no idea how happy this makes me. Okay, so before the next chapter here I thought I'd explain a bit as to how this fic came about. So I was requested to write this fic by someone on Facebook. Apparently she likes my other fics and wanted me to write one where Harry became a master of death, death being Anubis.**

**Since I'm grounded and don't have much else to do (hahahahaha) I chose to take the challenge. So this is the product of my imagination and someone else's prompt. Hope y'all like it.**

Back at the tents Harry wasn't surprised when Hermione and Ron cornered him in his tent. "What really happened Harry?"

"You're not going to believe this…"

"We'll be the judge of that. C'mon Harry, tell us."

He told them everything that happened to him, omitting finding the amulet. Something inside him told him not to tell them about it.

"So you speak to a goddess and you didn't even find any treasure of any sort?" Ron looked at him as if he got ripped off.

Harry shook his head. "I may have just been imagining it. You know how that happens sometimes."

"Harry, you always believe that you see things for a reason. Nagini's attack on Mr Weasley is a prime example. Maybe this was a vision of some sort. Ancient Egypt was full of magic. Wizards were everywhere. How else do you think the pyramids were formed?"

"You're being ridiculous Hermione."

"You don't pay attention in History."

"It's impossible to pay attention to Professor Binns, Hermione," Ron interjected.

Harry laughed. "Okay, maybe the magic just put me in a trance, if you will. Whatever the reason it happened, I didn't find anything and I wasn't cursed. Who knows?" He shrugged and dropped the subject.

Hermione looked like she wanted to argue it further but let it drop as well.

Later that night when everyone was sleeping Harry snuck out of the tent that he was sharing with Ron and headed back towards the tomb.

"_Back again boy? Why"_

"_I need to know what this means. I was hoping that if I searched the room again I might find something."_

Wadjet hissed in laughter, or at least what Harry interpreted as laughter. _"Foolish boy. You need only ask what that is. All the gods know what it is."_

Harry paused and looked down at the cobra at his feet. _"What is it then?"_ He pulled out the amulet. The diamond winked at him in the moonlight.

"_That is _Anapa's_ amulet. He hid it a long, long time ago from mortals and gods alike."_

"_Who is _Anapa_? The god of diamonds and gold?"_

Wadjet laughed again. _"Oh no. He's far more important than that. He is…how do you say? Anubis. Yes, I believe it translates to Anubis."_

Harry nearly dropped the chunk of gold in the sand.

Anubis.

He held an amulet that belonged to Anubis. _"You're not joking are you?"_ he asked warily of the snake goddess.

"_Why would I do that? Summon him. You'll see that I am not lying."_

"_Summon him how?"_

"_How should I know? Just say his name."_

"Anubis…?"

"_With conviction boy, like you mean it."_

"Anubis, I summon you."

Nothing happened as Harry stood out in the desert with the cobra. _"Hmm, maybe it's a fake…"_ the snake muttered to herself.

The wind picked up blowing dust and dirt around Harry like a mini tornado. He pulled out his wand and stood at the ready. The wind whipped his hair about his face and he got sand in his eyes a few time. He rubbed the sand out of his watering eyes and growled in frustration.

"What do you want? I was just in the middle of a New Orleans Jazz Funeral," said a boy that was standing not five feet from Harry. He had long shaggy black hair, caramel skin, and brown eyes. He wore a leather jacket that had probably seen better days, a shirt with what looked to be a skeletal angel of sorts on it, and a pair of dark jeans.

Harry blinked. Was this the jackal-headed god of the dead? He looked so…young, and not jackal-headed. "What?"

"What do you mean 'what'? You summoned me, what do you want?"

"You're Anubis?" Harry asked, just to make sure.

Anubis rolled his eyes. "Osiris, I'm dealing with an idiot," he mumbled. "Yes, I'm Anubis. Who are you and what do you want?"

"I'm Harry Potter. I just wanted to see if Wadjet here was right when she said that this was your amulet." He held up the golden carving of the god's head. Well, his jackal head.

Anubis looked down at the amulet. His eyes got stormy quickly. "Where'd you get that?"

"I found it. In that tomb over there. There was a secret chamber that I found and this was in it."

"_Ah-hem. I helped you find it. Don't forget that."_

"Right, Wadjet kind of pushed me into the room."

Anubis glared down at the cobra. He made the phrase 'if looks could kill' literal. Harry supressed the urge to shiver. "You stupid snake! What part of 'should be kept from all humanity forever' did you not understand? That thing is dangerous." He pointed at the amulet in Harry's hand. "I should've destroyed it…"

"Why is it so dangerous? It's just a magical amulet that lets me summon you."

"Oh good, he doesn't know what it fully does," the god said under his breath. "Look, just give me back the amulet and I'll make sure you live a long life." He held out his hand for Harry to place the amulet in.

Harry looked down at the hunk of gold in his hand. It wasn't like he needed the money or the fame of finding this ancient artefact. He just wanted it. "What does this thing do other than let me summon you?"

"Nothing of importance, now hand‒"

"Tell me!"

Anubis gritted his teeth like he was trying to fight against someone forcing him to do something. "It allows you to control my every action, my words, and my powers. Basically you become my master of sorts."

Wadjet let out a sound that sounded strangely like a whistle. _"Wow, I knew the thing had power but I didn't know it had that much power. So that's why you hid it so well."_

"Well duh, I didn't want anyone to find it. I prefer to not be someone else's puppet," Anubis snapped.

"Well who said I'd treat you like a puppet?"

"Who said you were keeping the amulet?"

"_Boys, stop before you start arguing and then half of a country dies. Remember what happened last time you got pissed off _Anapa_?"_

"Yeah…"

"What'd he do?"

"_You've heard of the Black Plague right? That was his fault."_

"It wasn't really my fault. The disease was there I just let people die because of it."

Harry stared incredulously at Anubis. "You let those people die because you were mad?"

"Yes. I had to vent it out in some way."

"But…you killed thousands of people."

"Yes."

"Don't you feel guilty about it? Remorseful in the least?"

"Nope. Look, I see mortals differently than you. I am eternal. Death will always be here as long as there is life. It doesn't bother me how many people die, or why they die. Not even how they die. Mortals are just a speck of dust in the universe. Their lives are so short and unimportant that I just don't care."

"Anapa_, maybe you should stop. There are some things that mortals shouldn't know about the universe and its functions."_

Anubis sighed and turned away from Harry. "Just give me back my amulet and you won't see me again until it's time for your judgement."

"No."

Anubis turned back around to face Harry. "What did you say?"

"I said no."

He closed the distance between them in two strides. "Listen up mortal, you are to give me my amulet back this instant and be lucky that you're still alive at the moment."

"You won't kill me."

Anubis growled. "Be careful with your words."

"Anubis, you will not kill me while I have possession of this amulet," Harry said, his words powerful and demanding. Even though he was shaking on the inside he was surprisingly calm on the outside.

Anubis cursed at him in ancient Egyptian. Even Wadjet cringed at his words. _"He's not very fond of you right now Harry Potter."_

"_Hardly anyone ever is."_

"_You should tread carefully. _Anapa_ may not look it but he's big on making people pay for their trespasses. He is the one who weighs your heart against a feather in the afterlife."_

"You are going to pay for what you just said Harry Potter."

Harry shrugged and turned away from the celestial beings. He was aware of Wadjet following him as he walked back to the tent.

"_Well, he does not like the way you just treated him. Remember he is a god."_

"_I don't care if he likes me or not. Did you hear what he said? He killed thousands of people just because he was having a temper tantrum. He may be an all-powerful god and all but that is no way to take out your frustrations."_

"_I agree completely, but what do you plan to do about it? _Anapa_ has a point. Mortals are just a speck of dust in the infinite universe."_

"_I'll teach him a better way to take out his anger. Maybe I'll also show him that we mortals aren't so below him."_

Wadjet fell silent in thought. _"Harry, it's not that we gods think you mortals so far below us that you hold no significance. Mortals have always helped our existence continue. If there were no mortals left, where would we be?"_

"_He certainly didn't act that way."_

"Anapa_ has always been a bit of a pessimist. You can figure why, I'm sure."_

"_I guess it comes with the territory of being the god of death."_

"_Well that and he's always surrounded by mourners. You heard what he said when he showed up. He was in the middle of a funeral. He definitely doesn't have the happiest of existences."_

Harry didn't want to sympathize with the death god. He wanted to teach him a lesson.

**Soooo? What'd y'all think? I like the little twist at the end. By the way, if some of y'all were wondering where Ginny is the answer is: I have no bloody clue lol. I completely forgot about her, so we'll say that she opted to stay in England with a friend.**

**The next chapter will be coming god-knows-when so don't hate me if I don't update within a week.**

**-JAFB**


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay! I'm back y'all. Sorry about the delay, but I'm still grounded…. I'm working on it though. So here's the next chapter of MD. Hope y'all like it. R&R please :D**

Harry slept fitfully that night and wasn't really paying attention throughout the day. His mind kept wandering back to the golden amulet that was in his pocket and the power that it held. He wondered if he should summon Anubis again and start showing Anubis just how meaningful mortals can be.

"Harry, pay attention. I just asked you a question three times," Hermione snapped her fingers in front of his face.

He blinked in surprise and shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Sorry Hermione. I kind of zoned out. What'd you ask?"

"Forget it. Why are you being so spacey today?"

"I didn't sleep well last night. I'm just tired."

"You're sure? You're not thinking about that…thing you found are you?"

"No Hermione, I'm fine. Go back to your shopping."

She turned back to the merchant's table and began shifting through small trinkets while the merchant was talking in rapid Arabic to Bill.

"Harry, dear, how are you feeling? You seem a bit off today," Mrs Weasley asked as she came up beside Harry.

"Yeah, I'm just tired. I didn't sleep well last night. Just a few nightmares."

"Is it your scar?"

"No, that's fine. It hasn't hurt in a few weeks actually. I guess Voldemort's gone on a temporary hiatus."

"Harry, please don't say that name."

"Sorry, force of habit I guess."

"It's alright. Why don't you come over here and join us?"

He sighed and nodded his head. It might get his mind off of you-know-who (not capital You-Know-Who).

While they were getting dinner at a local restaurant Harry thought he saw Anubis hanging out in the back of the building. He excused himself to the restroom and once inside he summoned Anubis.

The teenager showed up within seconds, a sneer placed firmly on his lips. "What a lovely place to summon me Potter. What do you want now?"

"Were you following me?"

"Why do you think that? Why would I follow a scrawny English boy whose hair doesn't know how to be tamed?"

"Because I hold your life in my pocket."

A pleased, slightly amused, smile took place of the sneer on Anubis's face. "Ah, so I'm not dealing with a _total_ idiot. Yes, I've been following you to make sure that you don't barter my life away to some street scum."

"They're just trying to make a living."

"You don't know them so don't defend them. I've seen them all. They're mostly all the same. They just want to scam you out of your money."

Harry was getting irritated with the god. "If you're going to follow me I'd appreciate if you'd at least make yourself known to not just me. It'd cause some issues if I was suddenly getting stalked by a skinny Egyptian."

Anubis raised an eyebrow. "You want me to introduce myself to your friends? Why?"

"Because you're going to be with us for quite some time."

Instant fury was Anubis's response. "When hell freezes over, I will!"

"I order you to."

Anubis's body jerked and he took a step toward Harry. "Fine. I'll follow you like your pet…sir."

"You don't need to call me sir or anything like that. Harry or Potter's just fine."

"Whatever, let's just get this over with." He crossed his arms over his chest.

Harry walked back to the table that the Weasleys were all sitting at. He acted as if everything were okay between Anubis and him when he got there.

"Hey guys, this is Anapa, he's from around here."

Anubis stared at Harry and then turned to look at the family of red-heads. "Yeah, I'm from somewhere near here," he said, putting more emphasis into his Egyptian accent.

"Well it's nice to meet you, Anapa, was it?" Mr Weasley said without skipping a beat.

Anubis nodded.

"How do you know Harry here?"

"Oh, who hasn't heard of the famous Harry Potter?" He smiled charmingly to Mr Weasley.

Harry laughed. "I'm even famous here in Egypt. I can't get away from it."

Hermione looked as if she were studying Anubis like a problem she couldn't solve. "So I was wondering if he could maybe have lunch with us."

"Of course dear, what's another mouth?" Mrs Weasley responded. She pulled up another chair between Harry and Hermione.

"Harry, may I speak with you?" Mr Weasley asked before Harry sat down.

"Sure."

He followed Mr Weasley to a secluded part of the restaurant. "Harry are you sure about this kid? Is he a wizard like us?"

"Yes, he's…special. I know he won't harm me."

"What do you mean by special?"

Harry hesitated. "He's very powerful."

Arthur nodded and motioned for Harry to return to the table.

Lunch wasn't ask awkward as Harry imagined it'd be. People asked Anubis about himself and Harry did his best to answer most of them before Anubis could put his proverbial foot in his mouth. Hermione never stopped peering at Anubis throughout the meal. Everyone else loved having him there.

After lunch they were given free rein to travel the marketplace just so long as they were back at the tents by five that evening.

Harry grabbed Anubis's arm and dragged him away before anyone else could tag along. They had some matters to discuss away from everyone else.

"Well you were quite the gentleman during the meal, Harry. I barely got three words out." Anubis once again appeared to be amused.

"Shut up. I didn't want you to screw us over with your words."

"Ah, so you made it up as you went? You know we're going to get caught eventually. They will find out who I am and who I am to you soon enough. Especially that frizzy-haired girl. What'd you say her name was again?"

"Hermione."

"What about me?" Hermione's voice cut into their conversation. Harry jumped and let go of Anubis's arm. He whirled around to stare at his best friend.

"Hermione…. What're you doing here? Did you follow us?"

"Yes." She crossed her arms and tapped her foot. "What did Anapa mean by 'who I am and who I am to you'?"

"Uh…um, er, you see…" Harry stammered, trying to find the words to say to his friend without giving away Anubis's secret.

"I'm his boyfriend," Anubis blurted out before Harry could form words.

Hermione's jaw dropped. "What? Harry you're gay? Why didn't you tell me?"

"What?" Harry looked at Anubis who was shamelessly smiling at Hermione.

"No sense in lying to her Harry. It was bound to come out some time."

"Hermione, I'm not gay. He's not my boyfriend. I swear." Harry couldn't believe that the situation had turned to this so quickly.

"It's okay Harry. I don't care if you're attracted to men. Just tell me." Hermione's words were soft and comforting.

"Hermione, I'm not gay," Harry repeated.

"He's as gay as the fourth of July."

"Anubis! Shut up!" Harry snapped at the god.

"You did it now lover boy," Anubis muttered.

"Anubis? Harry is he a god?"

"You better believe I'm a god." Anubis flashed a flirtatious smile toward the confused girl.

"He's a god."

"I can't believe this." Hermione turned around and put her hands in her hair. Turning around she snapped, "Harry, that's the second one in two days. Is it because of the amulet? I told you I don't like it. You should've gotten rid of it."

"Yes, please listen to your friend. She's smart. Give me back my amulet and I'll leave you alone." Anubis held out his hand for the amulet.

"No. I told you, I'm teaching you a lesson before you get it back. You have to earn it back Anubis."

"Harry that's crazy talk. Give him back the amulet. You don't even know what that thing does."

"Yes I do, Hermione. It allows me to control him. You didn't hear what he said last night when I summoned him."

"This isn't the first time you've met him?" She stared at him incredulously. "Harry you need to stop flirting with dangerous things."

Anubis chuckled. "I like her all the more now. She speaks sense. I can guarantee you a long life Hermione. I can't guarantee that it'll be super happy, but it'll be long."

"Thank you?" Hermione said to Anubis.

"Getting a god's personal blessing is indeed something that you need to be grateful for. Even if it may not seem it at the time it is something to be cherished."

"Now he acts all humble and like he loves humanity," Harry muttered.

"I'd rather kiss your ass now and get my amulet back than be your puppet for years until I've 'earned' it."

"You're impossible." Harry shook his head and tried to fight off the oncoming headache.

"Hey, I never said that I'd cooperate and make things easy for you while I'm your personal play thing."

Hermione cracked a smile. "Harry you've probably bitten off more than you can chew with this one. Good luck." She turned to walk off but then turned back around. "By the way, you should probably tell Ron about this. He wouldn't be happy if you kept such an important secret from him."

"Yeah, I was planning on it."

Anubis waved happily as Hermione left them. "I really like her. Why aren't you dating her?"

"Because I don't like her that way. She's just a friend."

"So you are gay."

Harry turned to look at the god who was still watching Hermione's retreating figure. "No! I'm not gay. Now stop saying that."

"The more you deny it the more I believe it to be true." Anubis turned and began walking in the opposite direction that Hermione had taken.

"Oh god, what have I gotten myself into?" Harry muttered skyward. He took a deep breath and followed the god that was the bane of his existence at the moment.

**I am so pleased with this chapter :3 You guys have no idea how much fun it was to write this. By the way, if y'all couldn't already tell this is gonna be a lighthearted fic. Nothing too heavy's gonna go on. Well, maybe near the end if I wanna torture y'all. We'll see. R&R (again, because I'm curious about what y'all think).**

**-JAFB**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey! I'm back again. Here's another chapter my lovely followers. I'm sorry about the delay I've been incredibly busy with college (finals, ugh). So to brighten your (and mostly my) mood I thought I'd post another chap. Well, that's enough chatter, here you go.**

Those two weeks in Egypt passes oh so slowly to Harry. Ron took the news better than Hermione when he told him that Anapa was actually Anubis. Bill loved talking to Anubis about history and Egyptian mythology (Who would have thought that a sixteen year old boy would know more about Egyptian mythology than a man whose job was to know every aspect of it?). Fred and George equally teased Harry about his new "boyfriend" even though he denied everything they said. Mr and Mrs Weasley were completely enamoured with Anubis's charm and helping hands.

All in all, Anubis was making his life suck.

Harry was restless the night before their departure back to England. He lay in his cot that night and stared at the tent roof. Ron was already asleep beside him and Harry could hear everyone else asleep in their tents as well. He tossed and turned trying to find a comfortable position but no matter what he tried he wasn't comfortable for more than two minutes.

"Sucks doesn't it?"

Harry nearly jumped out of his skin when Anubis spoke next to him. He grabbed his glasses and shoved them onto his face. "What's your problem?" he hissed, trying to stay quite so as to not wake up Ron.

"Oh nothing, I'm just trying to mess with you since you were awake."

"Well at least give me a warning that you're here next time."

"I'm so sorry. I'll try and approach louder next time. That's kinda hard on sand though. You understand, don't you?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Harry lay back down and put an arm under his head. "What'd you want to talk about," he said no louder than a whisper.

"I just wanted to talk to you about what's going to happen when you go back to England."

"I don't know. I haven't really thought about it."

"Well you need to think about it. Hey, you should do it while you're awake!" Anubis smiled.

Harry sighed and rubbed his face. "You could come back to England with us."

"Yes, but what about your schooling?"

"What about it? You could live in Hogsmeade."

"Hogsmeade? What is that? Some type of ale?"

Harry laughed quietly. "No, it's the village that's just outside of Hogwarts. Witches and wizards live and operate shops there. It gets quite busy when visitation is allowed."

"I don't like the thought of living in a small village full of shop keepers while you're in a school of teenagers."

"Why not? I don't see anything wrong with it."

"Because anyone can steal my amulet. I don't like it. I want my amulet to be kept safe."

"And it will be. I won't let anyone take it."

Anubis looked at Harry for a long time. Harry hadn't realized just how dark his eyes were. He could easily get lost in the dark waves. Harry blinked suddenly and turned to look away from Anubis.

"I don't trust you Harry Potter. That amulet is my life. If it fell into the wrong hands the world would be in far more trouble than it was during the Black Plague." His voice was quiet and grave.

Harry thought about the god's words with care. It was true that the amulet held powers that Harry couldn't even begin to understand. Anubis was right. If the wrong person got a hold of it the amulet then all hell would break loose. He had enough on his plate just with Voldemort's rise.

"Okay, so what do you suggest we do? And don't say that I should give you the amulet, you know I won't do that."

Anubis sighed and sat down next to Harry's side. He rested his head against the side of the cot. "I don't know."

Harry moved to lay on his side. He propped his head up with his hand, leaning against his elbow. "I thought you'd have an idea of how you want this done."

"I don't have all the answers Harry. I may be a god and I may have been around long before you, but I'm not a genius. That's Thoth's area of expertise."

"Thoth is the god of…?"

"Wisdom," Anubis answered wearily.

"You're exhausted."

"No shit, Sherlock."

"Then go to sleep," Harry said, ignoring Anubis's smart-aleck response.

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't feel comfortable going to sleep when you're in control of me." Anubis raised his head to meet Harry's eyes again.

"Oh. Sorry about that. Anubis, go to sleep."

Anubis placed his arm under his head and lay his head back on the side of the cot. "Night Harry."

"Good night Anubis." And with that they both fell asleep.

**Okay, there's your fluff. I can't help but turn this into one of those adorable fics. I'm a romantic person, sue me. I hope y'all enjoyed that and that you tell all your amazing friends about it. I'd really love some more reviews and follows… (hint, hint, wink, wink) Thank you!**

**-JAFB**


	5. Chapter 5

**Alrighty then, I'm back. Sorry guys. I try not to take forever to update but, well, y'know, life sucks and all that shit. So I've written up the next few chapters I've just got to edit them before I post them so the next update shouldn't take too long. Cross your fingers of course. Work and college are being a pain in my ass at the moment.**

**Well here you go! Another chap of Mastering Death.**

"Harry, Anubis, get up or we're gonna miss breakfast," Ron said from across the tent.

Harry opened his eyes to see Anubis's handsome face right in his. He yelped and shot upright instantly. Anubis groaned and rubbed his eyes. "Your roommate is quite noisy in the morning. Make him shut up Harry."

"Anubis, wake up. We're going to be leaving soon."

"Y'know we never really figured out what we're going to do about this whole thing last night," Anubis mumbled sleepily.

"We can figure it out after breakfast." Harry stood, careful not to step on Anubis, and walked to the tent door. "Come on."

Anubis groaned and finally dragged himself up onto his feet. "Okay, okay, I'm up."

They exited the tent and headed over to the table that was set up. There was already an assortment of food on the table in a buffet style setting. Everyone was already loading up their plates with food from the table. Mrs Weasley was making sure that no one took more than necessary. "Fred, you've had two plates already, leave some for Harry."

"Morning Mrs Weasley," Harry called as they approached the table. The scent of sausages, eggs, and fresh biscuits filled his nostrils. He was already drooling by the time they reached the table.

"Good morning Harry." She smiled at him. Upon noticing Anubis her smile faltered slightly. "Anapa, it's a pleasant surprise to see you here. Would you like some breakfast?"

Anubis suddenly remembered his surroundings. "Oh, yeah. Sorry, I showed up last night to talk to Harry about something and I fell asleep in his tent."

"That's alright. There's plenty here. I'm sure you're upset that we're going to be leaving today. You and Harry have grown quite close during our time here."

"Yeah, I guess you could say that."

"Didn't they tell you mum?" Fred said from the table where he was eating another biscuit. "They're dating."

"We're not dating! Will you stop that Fred?"

"Fred, stop teasing Harry. If he says that they're not dating then take it and leave it alone." Mrs Weasley shook her head at her son and turned to look at the pair again. "Well help yourself to food Anapa, there's plenty."

Harry took Anubis's arm and dragged him to the food. "I hate you for saying that we were dating when I first introduced you to them," he muttered.

"I'm sorry. It was the first thing that popped into my head to explain our sudden closeness." Anubis shrugged. "Is it so odd in your time for a man to be attracted to another man?"

"No, it's not that, it's just that's kind of a big thing to spring on them all of a sudden."

"So you are gay."

"Will you stop asking me that? I am not gay. I like girls, I always have." Harry growled in frustration and picked up a biscuit and put it on his plate.

Anubis laughed softly. "Yeah, sure. Did you know that in my time it was completely normal for someone to be attracted to someone else of the same sex? A few of the Pharaoh's were even gay. That's why they had no heirs. No children." He smiled over at Harry who was viciously stabbing a few sausages and putting them onto his plate. "Little known secrets of ancient Egypt."

"Anubis, can we just drop it?" Harry stopped what he was doing and looked up at the deity.

"Of course."

Harry turned back to the food and once his plate was filled to his satisfaction he walked over to the bench where everyone was talking and eating.

"Morning Harry," Hermione said cheerfully. "How'd you sleep?"

"Not good. I couldn't sleep actually."

"Why not?" Her gaze flickered over to Anubis who was standing away from the group, just watching them. "Did he keep you up," she asked in a lowered voice.

"What? No, he actually helped me sleep. I was thinking about what I'm going to do about him when we get back to England. He came in and talked to me until we both fell asleep."

Hermione tilted her hear slightly. "What are you going to do with him when we get back home?"

"I don't know. I told him that he could stay in Hogsmeade while I went to school but he brought up a valid point. What am I going to do about the amulet? I can't leave it in my dorm room all day, someone could steal it, but I don't think I want to carry it around with me as well," he said in between bites.

"Why don't you put it in your vault at Gringotts? No one's going to be able to get to it there."

"Yes, but will I still have control over him or not?"

"I'm not sure Harry," she said. "You'd have to ask him that."

"Maybe I'll just skip school this year."

"Harry!" she gasped. "You can't do that. Your education is vital."

He smirked and fought back the urge to laugh out loud. "Hermione, that's only something you would say. I can handle taking a year off of school."

She didn't look happy about his choice but nodded her head nonetheless.

"Okay everyone, go back to your tents and pack your things. We'll be leaving in two hours," Mr Weasley announced.

Everyone stood up and put their plates in a stack for Mrs Weasley to clear up. Harry walked back to his tent with Anubis following silently after him. He and Ron began cleaning up their tent. The place was a wreck to say the least. Harry gathered up his things and threw them haphazardly into his bag.

Anubis came up beside him and sat down on his cot, watching the proceedings. "Osiris, you guys are slobs."

"Hush. We don't care about being a bit messy. No one sees it but us anyway."

"I'm seeing it," Anubis said playfully.

Harry gazed up at the caramel-skinned boy in front of him. "Do you mind your Highness?"

Anubis laughed throatily. "No, and there's no need to call me your Highness. I am a god, not a Pharaoh."

"Weren't Pharaohs believed to be part god though?" Ron asked from across the tent.

"Yes, because some of them actually were hosts for certain gods."

"Hosts?" Harry asked.

"Yes. The god would exist inside of the Pharaoh and give a helping hand in ruling. When the Pharaoh died the god simply left the body and went about their own business."

"Do the gods still do that?" Ron asked.

"Yes, but not as often and far more spread out."

"Why not as often?" They had forgotten about cleaning up and were solely focused on Anubis now.

"Because people have forgotten about us. We are no longer feared and worshiped as we were back then," his voice had grown soft and sad. "Only the magicians and a select few others still believe in our existence."

"Who are these magicians that you gods keep talking about? Wadjet asked me if I was from the House of Life. What was she talking about?"

"Egypt was full of magicians, priests, priestesses, wise men, and people of the like. They lived to worship and give the common folk words from the gods. They were our connection to the people below. They still exist to this day. There are several branches throughout the world where magicians live and learn the ways of old. They keep the world in balance and make sure that Ma'at is always winning."

"What's Ma'at?" Ron asked. He had sat down on his cot and was listening intently.

"Truth."

"So these magicians are people that still live like they did back in ancient Egypt?"

"No, they live like people nowadays do but they practice magic and worship to us gods like they did back then."

"Why haven't we heard about them before then?" Ron mused.

"Your worlds have kept away from each other so far. I know that one day you will meet and maybe good will come of it. Most likely, war but there is always hope."

"Wow," Ron breathed.

"Heavy stuff."

Anubis looked amused at the pair of them. "You've nothing to fear. That day won't come for quite some time."

"Well that's good." Harry laughed at Ron's relief. "Come on Ron, we need to finish this."

And so they went back to cleaning up their mess. Harry would occasionally look up at Anubis. He would be sitting still on Harry's cot watching them clean his expression gave away none of his emotions. The god had a serious poker face.

"Are you boys done? We're about to leave," Mr Weasley called from outside the tent two short hours later.

"Yeah dad. We're coming out right now."

They gathered their bags and exited the tent, Anubis shortly behind them.

Mr Weasley cast a charm on the tent and it took itself down and folded itself up. He picked it up and put it into a bag with all the other tents. "Okay, our Portkey's waiting for us just over there. Let's get going."

With that everyone began the trip up to the rusty hanger laying in the sand. Bill gave everyone hugs and goodbyes. They all gathered around the hanger and grabbed a portion. Harry reached behind him and took a hold of Anubis's hand. "On the count of three. One, two," Arthur said, counting down for them, "three!"

They lurched skyward and began spinning recklessly. Harry gripped Anubis's hand tightly and made sure not to let go of him. He kept his eyes on Hermione across from him so as to not get sick from the spinning.

"Alright everyone, let go…now." Arthur let go first and everyone else followed suit.

Anubis grabbed Harry's shirt and held him close. He buried his head into Harry's neck and began shaking violently. They fell to the ground below them and landed on the wet grass.

Anubis continued to shake and didn't lessen his grip on Harry. Everyone stood up around them and made sure that they had all their belongings still. Harry struggled to sit up with Anubis still clinging to him like a terrified cat. "Anu‒ Anapa, hey. Let go of me. It's okay. We landed. We're back on solid ground." He wrapped his arms around the god and held him tightly as he shook and trembled beneath his touch.

Eventually Anubis's trembling slowed until it stopped; however, he still clung to Harry. "Don't ever make me go through that again," he murmured into Harry's chest.

"Okay. You won't have to go through that again," Harry promised.

Everyone noticed what was going on between the two of them. Mrs Weasley looked like she wanted to both yell at Harry and comfort Anubis. Fred and George were sniggering behind her. Mr Weasley looked at the twins disapprovingly. Ron and Hermione were the only ones that were almost unaffected by the scene before them.

They knew that Anubis had never gone through that before and it probably scared the daylights out of him. They were shocked at how Harry was comforting him though. For all that they argued Harry sure was quick to comfort the deity.

Harry could tell that he was blushing with all their gazes on him and Anubis, but he didn't really care. He needed to comfort the boy in his arms. Or at least get him to let go.

"Anapa, can you let go of me?" he asked him softly. "Everyone is staring."

Anubis gathered himself rather quickly and nodded. He released his hold on Harry and sat up. "Sorry, that was just scary. I've never done something like that before."

"That's okay dear, the first time is always the worst," Mrs Weasley said comfortingly to the dark-skinned boy.

Anubis gave an embarrassed laugh. "I'm sorry for causing a scene."

"It's no problem dear." Mrs Weasley touched his shoulder gently and smiled at him.

Anubis stood up and brushed off his pants. "Please don't yell at Harry. I wanted to come along and I wouldn't take no for an answer."

"But what about your parents? Won't they be scared or worried about you?"

"I don't have parents," he said simply.

"Oh, I'm so sorry dear. I didn't mean to upset you or anything."

"It's okay. I'm over it now." Anubis shrugged and looked nonchalant.

Mr Weasley nodded and addressed Anubis. "Well you're welcome to stay with us for the remainder of the summer."

"Thank you for offering your home to me. I appreciate it."

Harry stood and, after brushing off his jeans, said, "Well, are we going to stand around all day or are we going to go inside?"

"Yes, let's go inside and I'll make some French onion soup." Mrs Weasley gathered her bags and everyone followed her into the house.

"Anapa, why don't you stay in Ron's room with Harry and him?" Mr Weasley suggested.

Anubis smiled. "Thank you, your hospitality shall be greatly rewarded."

"It's no problem."

Anubis followed Harry up the seven flights of stairs to Ron's room. Harry dropped his bags down on the floor next to Ron's bed and sat down next to them. He let out a long sigh and closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry for reacting the way I did and causing you to become embarrassed."

Harry opened his eyes and looked at the god who was just staring at him. "It's okay. I understand. I nearly freaked out the first time I used a Portkey."

"But I doubt you made a complete fool of yourself though."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I kept myself together for the most part. I nearly wanted to vomit though."

Anubis looked at Harry. "I think if I had eaten anything this morning I would have."

Harry laughed and nodded. "Yeah, I think it's a good thing that you didn't eat then."

Anubis nodded in agreement. He looked at his surroundings. "Who are the Chudley Cannons?"

Harry looked at the posters on the wall and smiled. "They're Ron's favourite quidditch team."

"Quidditch?"

"Oh that's almost a sin to not know what quidditch is."

Anubis held up a hand. "Hold up, you didn't know what the House of Life was. Don't blame me for not knowing what quidditch is."

"It's a sport that we play."

"Will I ever see a game played?"

"I'm sure that we'll play a game soon."

He seemed satisfied with that answer and sat down next to Harry. "So how much of summer is left?"

"I don't know, a week or two?"

"So we have a week or two to figure out what we're going to do."

Harry sighed. "Yeah."

"Have you any ideas so far?"

"Anubis, can we not talk about this right now? I don't have any ideas. I'll tell you as soon as I get something."

"Sure. Do you still have my amulet?"

"Yes, it's in my pocket."

"Just making sure."

"By the way, why were you apologizing earlier? Usually you'd say something sarcastic or just leave me to suffer in my embarrassment by myself."

"I apologize for trying to get along with you. It's evident that we're going to be together for some time. I was just trying to make it easier on the two of us."

"Oh, okay." Harry fell silent and fiddled with his fingers.

Anubis reached over and grabbed Harry's hands. "Stop, you're making me twitchy."

Harry tried not to blush from the warmth of Anubis's hand on his. His heart did a little thump-thump-lurch thing-y and his palms did a starting-to-sweat thing-y. He licked his lips and tried not to turn his head to look into Anubis's eyes. "Sorry," he muttered.

Anubis held his hand longer than necessary and then finally let go. Harry let out the breath that he didn't even know he was holding. His heart was still acting funny even though Anubis let go of him.

**Sort of not really a cliff hanger! Yayyy! :D I love you guys ;)**

**Okay, so here comes the fluff, you can see the beginnings of it. I promise in the coming chapters there will be much more fluffiness. Btw, does anyone know of a ship name for them or am I gonna have to come up with one? It's annoying calling it Harry/Anubis. Anyways, as mentioned above, there should be another update soon-ish. Review, review, review. Please and thank you.**

**-JAFB**


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